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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236296">Hell or High Water</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>...kinda?, Character Death, Drowning, Haunted Houses, Horror, M/M, Spirits, cult referances</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:23:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,900</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark had told him about the building a few weeks ago during one of their movie nights. He explained how it was rumored to be the previous home of members of some sort of cult and then one day they all just disappeared. </p><p>Hyuck had insisted that they go exploring, telling Mark that it would be the adventure of a lifetime and nothing terrible would really happen. After some convincing, Mark had agreed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>NCT Spookfest 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hell or High Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy Halloween :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark stared at the building in front of him, the setting sun still providing enough light to give him a clear view of it. It looked mostly unscathed from the outside, except for a few broken windows and some plants starting to grow on the plain, brick face walls. It was certainly less glamourous than he had imagined.</p><p>That didn’t make him any less scared though.</p><p>“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” he said, hands shaking.</p><p>“We’ll be fine. It’s just an old house,” his boyfriend, Hyuck, chuckled as he patted Mark on the shoulder and stepped closer to the building.</p><p>“What if the rumors are true?” Mark grabbed Hyuck by the back of his hoodie to stop him from walking any closer. </p><p>Hyuck turned around to face his boyfriend with a mischievous smile plastered on his face. “Then it’ll be even more fun.”</p><p>Mark had told him about the building, which stood in the woods behind his house, a few weeks ago during one of their movie nights. He explained how it was rumored to be the previous home of members of some sort of cult. Then one day they all just disappeared. </p><p>It was one of the secrets the neighborhood tried to hide to protect their image.</p><p>Hyuck had insisted that they go exploring, telling Mark that it would be the adventure of a lifetime and terrible would really happen. After some convincing, Mark had agreed.</p><p>Now that they were here, it felt like a terrible idea. Mark’s mind was running wild with all the things that could go wrong and his stomach twisted with anxiety. </p><p>“Hyuckie…” </p><p>“Let’s just go in and if you really feel like somethings wrong, then we’ll leave.” </p><p>The inside was also different from how Mark had imagined it. The downstairs was a wide, open space that Mark assumed was once a living room of sorts. The old, wooden floors creaked as they walked further into the house. Some of the floorboards had lifted and they had to watch their step carefully so that they wouldn’t trip.  </p><p>The floor was also laden with shards of glass, from the broken windows, and pieces of the roof that were starting to fall off after years of water damage.</p><p>The walls were in a similar state. There were large cracks in them and the wallpaper had started to peel off, it also looked like it was due to water damage. </p><p>In front of them was a door, which Mark thought led to the basement, that he definitely didn’t want to open. On either side of them was an old, wooden staircase that led to the top floor. </p><p>They could see the top floor, from where they stood on the ground level, over the banister that ran along the long, single corridor that had wooden doors lined up along it. Mark Shuddered as he thought about what could be hiding behind them. </p><p>The door slammed behind them causing Mark to jump and grab onto Hyuck’s hand and Hyuck to let out another one of his sinister chuckles. He was enjoying this far too much. </p><p>“Relax, it’s just the wind,” he said as he rubbed circles on the back of Mark’s hand with his thumb. “You stay down and I go up?” </p><p>“No way in hell are we splitting up,” Mark said, holding onto his boyfriend's hand tighter for reassurance. “And I’m not going into the basement.” </p><p>Hyuck led them up the rickety staircase while Mark still held onto his hand like a lifeline.  </p><p>The upper floor was just as unkempt as downstairs. The floors were even more covered in fallen debris from the roof and Mark almost fell a few times. Their flashlights barely provided enough light now that it had gotten much darker very quickly.</p><p>Mark examined the banister; the thick layer of dust and cobwebs leading him to believe that this place had been abandoned for longer than he thought. </p><p>Hyuck began pushing on the first door on the corridor. “It’s locked,” he sighed and moved to the next one, and the next one, and the next one. “They’re all locked! This is so unfair!” </p><p>Just as Mark was about to sigh in relief and ask to leave, the door behind Hyuck creaked open.  Without hesitating, Hyuck opened it fully and walked inside. “Oh my god, Mark! There’s stuff in here!”</p><p>Slowly Mark entered the room. A single dresser with a mirror above it stood pressed against the furthest wall. Hyuck was already opening the draws.</p><p>“They're empty. I’m going to try another room,” Hyuck quickly ran out the room, leaving Mark on his own.</p><p>Just as Mark was about to leave he heard a creak behind him, causing him to whip around.  The draws of the dresser were slowly starting to open themselves. </p><p>Mark froze. </p><p>He stared at the dresser, unable to move. Eventually, his eyes landed on the mirror, and out of nowhere, it cracked. </p><p>Mark screamed, his heart beating a million miles an hour and blood rushing through his ears. </p><p>“What did you do!?” Hyuck ran back into the room, looking between Mark and the cracked mirror.</p><p>“I- nothing! It just…cracked.” </p><p>Hyuck looked like he was about to say something else, to argue more, but then he froze as Mark had earlier. His flashlight was pointing at the ground. </p><p>Bare footprint led out the door. </p><p>‘Those weren’t there before,” Hyuck started following them.</p><p>“Hyuck, let’s go,” Mark pleaded, trying to stop his boyfriend from walking any further into this creepy house. It was to no avail because Hyuck started walking down the corridor and following the prints. “Please Hyuck! You promised!” </p><p>“I just wanna see where these go and then we can leave,” he said as he walked all the way to the end of the corridor and stopped in front of the door. </p><p>“No way, I’m not going in there,” Mark crossed his arms and stood at the top of the staircase. </p><p>Hyuck pushed the door open. “It’s just a bathroom!” he yelled back to Mark.</p><p>Then, the door slammed shut. </p><p>“Stop fucking around! Please can we just go!?” Mark just really wanted to get out of here. </p><p>“I didn’t do that!” Hyuck sounded panicked. “Mark! Help, it won’t open!” </p><p>Mark ran towards the door and started pulling on the handle but it wouldn’t budge. He heard water running inside the bathroom.  </p><p>“The taps won’t turn off! Oh my god,” Hyuck started banging on the door. “Help! Mark!”</p><p>“I can’t get it open!”</p><p>Mark looked down to see water flooding out from under the door. “It’s flooding fast! It’s already up to my knees!”</p><p>Mark kept pulling at the door in a futile attempt to get it open while his boyfriend screamed inside. </p><p>“It’s coming to my shoulders!  Mark I’m going to drown!” </p><p>Mark started ramming his body against the door but it still wouldn’t budge.</p><p>“Kick it down!” Hyuck called and then all Mark heard were gargling noises. </p><p>Hyuck couldn't even swim.  </p><p>Mark kicked the door as hard as he could. Nothing. He kicked it again and again. The feeling of utter dread filled his body when the noises inside stopped. He gave one final kick with all his might and the door flew off its hinges. </p><p>The water from inside gushed out at a rapid pace, soaking him and almost knocking him off his feet. </p><p>Hyuck lay in the middle of the room as he spluttered and gasped for air. Mark ran to him and started hitting him on the back to help expel all the water from his lungs.</p><p>“Let’s get the fuck out of there!” Hyuck was up and moving as soon as he caught his breath. </p><p>“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Mark followed closely behind.</p><p>They ran down the stairs as fast as their legs could carry them. Hyuck threw open the front door only to be met with a solid wall of dirt. It was like they were buried underground.</p><p>“There’s no fucking way,” he said as he started pounding at it with his fists. </p><p>Mark looked at the window to see the same thing. "What the fuck do we do.” </p><p>Hyuck shone his torch all around. “Upstairs! Let’s try one of the upstairs windows.”</p><p>They ran up the staircase again and Mark felt a spark of hope when he saw moonlight. The hope quickly fizzled out when Hyuck threw a piece of debris at it only for it to bounce back. The glass wouldn’t break. </p><p>Mark looked around again, his flashlight pointing to one of the cracks in the walls, where a gooey red substance had started to pour out. “I-is that blood.” </p><p>“We need to get out of here.” </p><p>They both gasped when they heard a rumble behind them to see the banister crumbling right in front of their eyes. </p><p>“Quick! Down the stairs, before they disappear and we get stuck up here!” Hyuck said as he grabbed Mark and started to pull him down the stairs. </p><p>As soon as they reached the bottom, the stairs started to fall apart. Trying to avoid the falling rubble, they moved toward the center of the room. </p><p>The dirt had started to pour in through the windows and door at a rapid pace. It was filling up the room and pushing them closer and closer to the door opposite the entrance. The one Mark had thought led to the basement. </p><p>“I’m going to open it!” Hyuck yelled over the loud sound of shifting earth. “We don’t have another choice!” They were almost pushed right against it by now. </p><p>The door led to a downwards staircase that turned around a corner. A faint red glow came from around the corner and illuminated the stairwell.</p><p>Once they had both taken the first step, the door slammed shut behind them. </p><p>“I guess we’re going down,” Hyuck grabbed onto Mark’s hand again.</p><p>Once they had turned the corner, Mark wished they had rather gotten buried in dirt. </p><p>A glowing red pentagram was etched into the floor and around it sat 5 floating kids, no older looking than Mark himself, chanting and holding hands. </p><p>They stopped chanting while turning to face Mark and he realized that they were almost transparent and they glowed a faint silver. They weren't human.</p><p>They spoke in unison,</p><p>“We are the spirits of the lost children.<br/>
Called to this home many years ago by its previous inhabitants but we were never set free.<br/>
We have been waiting for you, for you will join us and set us free.<br/>
You will become one of us.<br/>
7 will make us complete.<br/>
Step inside the pentagram and join us.”</p><p>Mark and Hyuck stood glued to their spot, too afraid to move.</p><p>Suddenly, Mark heard blood-curdling screams and Mark watched as Hyuck fell to the floor, twitching and writing in pain.  Until he stilled and Mark knew he wasn't breathing. </p><p>“We said join us!”  </p><p>Mark watched as Hyuck was dragged across the floor and placed in the center of the pentagram. Flames rose out of the ground and engulfed him completely and then he was gone.</p><p>He collapsed to the floor and felt searing pain like he had never felt before. His vision blurred white and he screamed until his throat felt raw. </p><p>The last thing he remembers was being dragged across the floor into the pentagram and being covered in the burning hot flames.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed!</p><p>Please leave a kudos and comment if you did.</p><p>Follow me on <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/suhpervillain">twitter</a><br/>I promise I’m nice :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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